Iuvaiid-bed



T. L. FOUST. INVALID BED. APPLICATION FILED APR. 12, 1917. I

Patented Oct. 7,1919.

n I m' provide a sectional mattress-10f: novel: form,

THEoDoRE LroUsr, or rEnnE HAUTE, INDIANA...

INVALID-BED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 0ct. 7,19 1-9.

Application filedApri112, 1917; SerilNo. 161,558.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE L. FOUST, a citizen ofv the United States; residing at Terre Haute, in the county of Vigo and State of Indiana, have invented a: newv and useful Invalid=Bed, (Case A,) of whichthe following is a specification.

This inventionrelates to invalid beds and is more particularly designed as an improvement upon the. structure: disclosed in Patent No. 1,197,731, issued. tome on September 12, 1916.

One of the objectsofi the invention iszto the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, I it being I understood that changes inthe-precrse embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can: b'ema'de within the scope of what is 'claimed, ..withone side bya continuous rai1 3 and. at. the

other side by a rail 4: having, between its ends, a depending yoke 5 integral therewith.

Uross strips 6 connect the upper ends of the sides of the yoke 5 with the opposite rail 3 and mounted for vertical: movement between these stri s 6 is a holder '7 designed to support a smal mattress section in the ping 5:. any set-table nieces.

be: employed for'raising and lowering the holder but as this holder and its operating means constitutesno part of the present invention it is not deemed necessary to -de scrib'eor illustrate the same in detail.

Extending upwardly from'the end portions of each of the strips 6 are short standards 9 and 10 respectively. Upper side rails 11 are secured at their-ends'to the standards 9 and 10 and constitutethe sides of themid dle mattress section. These rails 11 are preferably angle strips with their flanges extending inwardly toward; each other and extending inwardly from these-flanges are coiled springs 12 attached to the ends of transversely extending flexible strips 13 preferably ofspring metal.- Spring strips or wires 14 are fastened'at their ends to the strips 13 and are preferably parallel, the innermost strips 14: being spaced apart to form: a large opening directly over the holder 7; One of the strips 13 can be cut out as'shown at 15 so as to increase the size of this opening.

Hingedly connected to the standards 9 are angle strips 16 forming the sides of the frame of the head portion of the mattress, these side strips being connected at their free ends by an end strip 17. Extending from. the side strips close to their pivots.

18 are coiled springs 19 which are attached to theends ofa flexiblestrip 20 preferably of metal and which strip is close to'and parallel with one of the strips 13. I The two strips 20 and13are preferably connected by small rings orloops 21.

Connecting the side angle: strips 16 close to their pivots is across bar 22 supported throughout the'greater portion of its length below the side bars or strips 16, the'ends of this cross bar being bent upwardly and fastened to the side bars 16, as shown particularly at 22 in Fig. 3.- A pair of additional cross bars 23 connects the side bars 16 near the end bar 17 and these cross bars 23 are secured to ablock 2e located preferably adjacent the centers thereof-andwhich is pivotallyengaged by the upper end of an arcuaterack bar 25.

Cross bars 26connect the side rails 3 and 4: and are provided thereunder with trusses 27' including central spacing blocks 28. These spacing blocks may be made integral, they being provided with connecting'webs 29 in which is journaled a transverse shaft 5t torwhieiihis seeured ages): This gear 30 can be rotated in any suitable manner, as by means of a crank arm 32 anda ratchet wheel 33 may be secured to this shaft, this. ratchet wheel being normally engaged'by a pawl 34 whereby rotation of the shaft in one direction will be prevented. In other words, by rotating the shaft 30 in one direction so that the ratchet will slip under the pawl 34, the rack 25 will be moved upwardly and cause the mattress frame made up of'the bars 16 and 17 and their connections to swing upwardly about their pivotal connections with the standards 9. Reverse or downward movement of the parts is prevented, however, unless the pawl 34 is disengaged from the ratchet wheel.

A wire fabric indicated generally at 35 is connected to the bars 16 and 17 and to'the flexible strip 22 and this fabric is adapted to support a tufted mattress section 36 which can be connected in any suitable manner to another tufted mattress section 37 which rests on the strips 13 and connections 14 as well as the side rails 11,this section 37 havin an opening 38 therein designed to rece1ve the plug 8 when the holder 7 is elevated. 7

Extending upwardly from the middle portion of the cross strip 6 on which the standards 10 aremounted are intermediate standards 39 similar to the standards 10. Pivotally attached to each standard 10v and to the adjacent standards 39 is a U-shaped frame 40 preferably offset downwardly near the pivot end thereof as shown at 41., Each of these U-shaped frames has an inwardly extending flange along the sides and end thereof as indicated at 42 and secured on these flanges are cross strips 43.

' Rings or loops 44 are extended from the longitudinal edge of the strip 13 and pivotally mounted in these rings is the upper frame 45 of a spring mattress section. This section also has a lower frame 46' adapted to rest on the strips-43, the two frames 45 and 46 being connected by springs 47. A

tufted mattress section 48 is adapted to rest on the frame 45 and the springs connected thereto.

It is of course to be understood that one of these mattress sections is arranged above each of the frames 40.

Secured to the middle portion of the free end of each of the frames 40 is a cord or light cable 49 extending upwardly and fas- .tened to a shaft 50 journaled in bearings 51. The two shafts 50 are preferably in ,alinement although capable of independent rotation and each shaft has aratchet wheel 52 adapted to be engaged by a pawl53 so as to prevent the cable from unwinding from the shaft; Any suitable means such' as a crank arm 54 may be'provided for rotating each of the shafts. The parts are I which the cable is attached. By loosening the pawl 53 out of engagement with its ratchet wheel, said section can be lowered to a horizontal position or past the hori zontal.. r

A bracket 55. can be attached to one of the side rails of the bed and is adapted to hold a standard 56. This standard can be raisedfto a desired elevation and then held by means of a .set screw 57. Anwarm 58 extends radially from the upper end of the standard and a table "section 59 may be adjustablymounted on this arm.

It will be apparent that by providing a mattress section such as described, all of the sectionscan be adjusted until they are perfectly horizontal, the back of the patient resting on the mattress section 36, while the legs rest upon the respective mattress secangle and, by means of the shaft 50 and the parts connected thereto, the respective leg I sections can be adjusted upwardly or downwardly as desired' 1 The construction of the various'sections is simple, durable and eflicient and the parts are so assembled that they will not readily get misplaced or out of order. 7

What is claimed is r I V 1. The combination with a, supporting structure, of-upper side rails, a frame hingedly connected to said rails at one end, and carrying a bed fabric constituting the head portion of the bed, a flexiblestrip secured to the hinge end portion of said fabric and yieldingly connected at its ends to the 'frame of said head portion, separate hinged frames connected to'the other ends ofsaid rails and extending downwardly and forwardly therefrom, separate means for raising and lowering the respective frames at the two ends of the rail, parallel cross strips yieldingly connected" at their ends to the ends of the rails, spring wires connecting said cross strips, loops connecting one of said cross strips to the flexible strip of the said bed fabric, springs mattress sec tions carried by the separate hinged frames forming one end of the bed, each section including an upper frame-and ring connections between'said upper frames and one of .the cross strips. I

4 one end of the side railsand carrying a spring fabric, separate leg portionshingedly connected to the other end of the rails and each including a frame, spring mattress sections .139

resting on the respective frames and having ing the head and leg portions respectively 10 upper frames, yieldingiy supported cross of the bed.

strips connected at their end to the side In testimony that I claim the foregoing rails, rings connecting the upper frames as my own, I have hereto afliXed my signaof the leg portions to one of the cross strips, ture in the presence of two Witnesses.

rings connecting the spring fabric of the THEODORE L. FOUST. head portion to the other said cross strip, Witnesses:

springs connecting between the cross strips, JAMES F. SLADE,

and separate means for raising and lower- GEORGE WEBER.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of ratents. Washington, D. G. 

